Sex offender ex-con charged in attack

COLONIE>> A man with an extensive criminal history was arraigned on attempted murder charges Wednesday in connection with the stabbing of a 50-year-old woman on August 11.

James Sayers, 43, is charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault.

Police responded to a report of a person yelling for help near 1059 Watervliet Shake Road around 5:53 p.m. on Aug. 11, and found the victim suffering from numerous slash and stab wounds in the body, head and neck areas, according to a press release from Colonie Police. The victim was discharged from Albany Medical Center on Tuesday.

Police believe both Sayers and the victim got on a CDTA bus on Central Avenue and Quail Street in Albany, and both got off at Route 5 and Route 155 in Colonie. Sayers allegedly targeted the victim and followed her for nearly one and a quarter miles on Route 155 and Watervliet Shaker Road before grabbing her from behind and forcing her into a wooded area, police say.

Advertisement

Police say they is no evidence of any prior interaction between the victim and Sayers.

Sayers is a Level 3 sex offender. He was released on parole in May 2014 after serving almost 13 years of a 15-year maximum sentence for burglary, and has been convicted of first-degree rape, third-degree attempted robbery and second-degree robbery, according to the Department of Corrections website.

The Colonie Police Department, New York State Division of Parole, Albany Police Department, U.S. Marshal’s NY/NJ Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Albany County District Attorney and the Capital District Transit Authority all assisted with the investigation.